Samsung MM-A900 (SPH-A900)

Samsung seems to be involved in almost every area of consumer tech out there today. Looking to take some of the steam out of the Razr line of phones, they have introduced the SPH-A900.

Review:

CNET: If you think the Samsung MM-A900 looks astonishingly like the Motorola Razr V3, you’re not mistaken. As Sprint’s answer to the famed Motorola handset, it succeeds quite admirably by offering a slim and attractive design that’s a hair thicker than the Razr. It’s also packed with plenty of multimedia features enhanced with Sprint’s high-speed EV-DO network. The Samsung MM-A900 will be available on November 29 at $349.99 without service or $199.99 with a service contract.

Upside: Call it a Razr clone if you must, but the clear wow factor of the Samsung MM-A900 is its design. It’s superthin at 0.57 inch thick (compared to the Razr’s 0.5 inch), it has a 65,000-color external display and a 262,0000-color internal display, and it trumps the Razr by offering external keys that enable you to control the music player. The phone’s features aren’t too shabby either: a 1.3-megapixel camera and camcorder, an MP3 player, a speakerphone, and full Bluetooth abilities. With support for Sprint’s EV-DO network, the phone’s multimedia functionality is a star attraction, giving you access to Sprint’s Power Vision services such as streaming audio and video, on-demand live TV, and song downloads from the Sprint Music Store.

Downside: With a list price of $349.99, or $199.99 after a service rebate, the Samsung MM-A900 is expensive. Sure, the Razr isn’t cheap either, but in our opinion, it would be wiser for Samsung and Sprint to sell the phone at a lower price in order to remain competitive against the better-known brand. If that doesn’t empty your wallet, the Sprint Music Store charges a ridiculous $2.99 per song download. Also, while the MM-A900 comes with 70MB of memory, it’s sorely lacking an external memory-card slot–a glaring omission when it comes to a multimedia phone.

Outlook: It’s refreshing to see Sprint come out with such an attractive phone that is fully backed by its high-speed EV-DO network. The Motorola Razr has been nothing short of hot this year, and Sprint is definitely trying to cash in on the hype with the Samsung MM-A900. By offering the phone to its customers as a Razr alternative, Sprint can appeal to customers looking to switch to another provider just to have the Razr. Still, though the MM-A900 certainly is attractive at first glance, we wonder if it’s too little, too late. The Razr now comes in black and pink versions that further the popularity of the brand, and Sprint must compete with Verizon’s upcoming Motorola Razr V3c.